against Cornbury,
if you please," she had said, "but do it quietly. Keep your toe in
your pump and say nothing. Just as we stand at present about the
business of Rowan's, it would almost be better that you shouldn't
vote at all." But Tappitt was an angry man, at this moment
uncontrollable by the laws of prudence, and he went into these
election matters heart and soul, to his wife's great grief. Butler
Cornbury, or Mrs. Butler Cornbury,--it was all the same to him
which,--had openly taken up Rowan's part in the brewery controversy.
A rumour had reached Tappitt that the inmates of Cornbury Grange had
loudly expressed a desire for good beer! Under such circumstances it
was not possible for him not to rush to the fight. He did rush into
the thick of it, and boasted among his friends that the Jew was safe.
I think he was right,--right at any rate as regarded his own peace
of mind. Nothing gives a man such spirit for a fight, as the act of
fighting. During these election days he was almost regardless of
Rowan. He was to second the nomination of the Jew, and so keen was
he as to the speech that he would make, and as to the success of what
he was doing against Mr. Cornbury, that he was able to talk down his
wife, and browbeat Honyman in his own office. Honyman was about to
vote for Butler Cornbury, was employed in the Cornbury interest, and
knew well on which side his bread was buttered. Sharpit and Longfite
were local attorneys for the Jew, and in this way Tappitt was thrown
into close intercourse with that eminent firm. "Of course we wouldn't
interfere," said Sharpit confidently to the brewer. "We never do
interfere with the clients of another firm. We never did such a thing
yet, and don't mean to begin. We find people drop into us quick
enough without that. But in a friendly way, Mr. Tappitt, let me
caution you, not to let your fine business be injured by that young
sharper."

Mr. Tappitt found this to be very kind,--and very sensible too. He
gave no authority to Sharpit on that occasion to act for him; but he
thought of it, resolving that he would set his shoulders firmly to
that wheel as soon as he had carried through this business of the
election.

But even in the matter of the election everything did not go well
with Tappitt. He had appertaining to his establishment a certain
foreman of the name of Worts, a heavy, respectable, useful man,
educated on the establishment by Bungall and bequeathed by Bungall
to Tappitt,